Lindora Weight Loss Plan

The Lindora Lean for Life program is the creation of Marshall Stamper, M.D., who opened a weight loss clinic in 1971 that expanded to a local chain of 35 Lindora Health Clinics in the region of Southern California. The company claims that the 10-week Lindora Lean for Life program can help clients lose up to 10 percent of their body weight through a customized metabolic fitness treatment program. Lindora says more than 4,000 clients visit its clinics on a daily basis.

Client Evaluation

• The first step in the Lindora Lean for Life program is a visit to one of the Lindora clinics, where a first-time client is given a medical evaluation that includes weight measurement on a computerized scale, a blood pressure reading and a comprehensive lab screening. The evaluation also includes the clinic's Metabolic Fitness Treatment Program that features a vertical auto profile (VAP) test. The VAP, developed by a company called Atherotech, based in Birmingham, Alabama, is a cholesterol test that measures 15 different components of cholesterol in the blood (a standard cholesterol test measures only the basic four components: total cholesterol; LDL, or "bad" cholesterol; HDL, or "good" cholesterol; and triglycerides).

  After the measurements are taken, a "team" of assigned Lindora weight-loss counselors and nurses create a customized weight-loss plan. The client is then expected to visit the clinic for counseling between two and five times a week. The client's weight is recorded on the computerized scale during each visit, and one of the assigned nurses reviews the plan and evaluates the data. The client may also be injected with a vitamin supplement during these visits.

Lean for Life Program

• The basic premise of the Lindora Lean for Life program is a high-protein and low- carbohydrate diet that is implemented over several phases of the 10-week program. The first phase, which lasts less than a week, is known as "Prep" or "Protein Days," in which the client is advised to consume six servings of protein and only between 50 and 100 carbs per day. This phase is intended to cause the body to enter ketosis, which is when the body uses ketone instead of glucose for energy. The client is expected to lose weight rapidly during this phase.

  The next phase is the weight-loss phase, during which clients are encouraged to consume only 800 to 1,000 calories per day under the guidance of the Lenora counseling team, and to have one Prep day per week. Clients review their diets with their counseling team, and they can purchase Lindora brand foods, such as beverages, puddings, protein bars, snacks and soups. However, the diet can be flexible as long as it meets the nutritional criteria worked out with the client's counseling team. Vitamins and supplements, including potassium, omega 3s, and calcium can be purchased through Lindora as well.

  The final phase is a 14-day period known as "Metabolic Adjustment," which is intended to get the body out of the state of ketosis by introducing foods back into the diet, returning the body to normalcy.

Clinical Research

• There is no independent clinical research available as to the efficacy of the Lindora weight-loss plan, but the company did fund its own clinical research and published it in the spring 2005 issue of The Bariatrician. The study concluded that a weight- loss plan that treated obesity and aimed to remove more than 10 percent of a patient's body weight is more effective when the patient has the guidance of a treatment team.

Online Version

• For people who do not live in Southern California, Lindora offers an online version of its weight-loss program. Online clients can purchase a six- or 10-week version of the plan with a "phone coaching pack" for counseling over the phone. The company also sells books, DVDs, CDs, "ketosticks," journals, scales and numerous other Lindora branded items.